Getting Started

What is a capsule wardrobe?

Essentially, it is a small, seasonal collection of clothes that you love and wear often. Clothes that work for you and your lifestyle. The core of a capsule wardrobe is quality basics and essentials. You can have a number limit for just how small your collections should be: 30 items, 33, 37, 42…. but do whatever works best for you. I started off with over a hundred items per capsule. Of course I didn’t wear them all, but I wasn’t ready to whittle it down any further. Now, I’m closer to 20-50 items in each capsule and I end up wearing a majority of them. How many capsules you end up with in a year or how many items you have in each collection will be unique to you. The important part is that your items can be used with each other to make outfits that you will want to wear.

Keep only the items you need and love, clearing out space in your closet, mind, and life. When you have less options, it allows you to re-wear outfits you love, mix-and-match your items, and be creative with what you have.

Shop less, shop better. Quality, ethics, sustainability.

Creating your own capsule

Take everything out – yes, everything.

Designate boxes or spots on your bed or floor for items to:

Donate/sell

Love & keep

Unsure

Fashion show! – try everything on

Donate/sell pile if: doesn’t fit, doesn’t work for your life, hate it, makes you miserable, have never worn it and you know you never will, too old and worn out.

Unsure pile: Doesn’t work for your life or doesn’t fit at the moment but you aren’t ready to let it go.

Assess your Keep pile

If an item is out of season, store it for later.

Do you see a theme in what’s left?

Take note of what colors and styles you seem to gravitate towards, these help define your personal style.

How many items do you have left? If you still have a lot, that’s okay. If you have barely anything, that’s okay, too.

Organize your closet, dressers, whatever you use for your everyday clothes. You’ll want to be able to see your clothes and they should be easily accessible. Out of sight, out of mind, right? So if you can see the clothes in your capsule, you are more likely to wear them.

Assess your Unsure pile

Are you ready to permanently part with these items? If yes, then move to the Donate/sell pile. If no, then store it. Again, out of sight, out of mind. If after a few seasons, if you still don’t pull these items out, it’s probably time to let them go.

If they don’t quite fit with your lifestyle at the moment but they most likely will in the next few years, then store them for now and reassess at a later date.

Make a wishlist – notice any holes in your wardrobe you’d like to fill?

Don’t go out and shop-til-you-drop to fill any voids you feel like you might have.

Give it some time with what you already have, you may find you don’t really need anything else.

Take it slow.

Look for quality items that are made ethically and sustainably.

Don’t buy right away. If you find an item you love and will be a great addition to your capsule, wait. If after a few days, weeks, or even months, you still can’t get the piece out of your head, go ahead and buy it.

If it ends up not being right for you, return it.

Wear your clothes – be confident, enjoy living with less.

Spend more time doing the things you love with the people you love.

How many items are in your capsule? Tell me about your experience creating a capsule wardrobe in the comments below!